Major General John Henry Hilldring (March 27, 1895 – January 20, 1974) was a senior United States Army officer who fought during both World War I and World War II and served as Assistant Secretary of State for Occupied Areas from 1946 to 1947.
Biography Hilldring was born in New Rochelle, New York on March 27, 1895.Hilldring's Distinguished Service Cross Citation He was of Swedish descent,Munzinger Profile of Hilldring and was educated at Columbia University before transferring to the University of Connecticut, graduating in 1918.List of Winners of the University of Connecticut Distinguished Alumni Award He served in the United States Army during World War I, with the rank of first lieutenant, into the infantry. He saw action on the Western Front and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
Hilldring went on to become a career officer in the Army. In this capacity, he was posted in the Philippines.Dale M. Hellegers, We the Japanese People: World War II and the Origins of the Japanese Constitution (Stanford University Press, 2001), p. 162 In 1936, he was appointed to the General Staff of the United States Army.
With the American entry into World War II, Hilldring became Assistant Chief of Staff of the United States Army in 1942.Profile from Generals.dk With the rank of major general, he became the Commanding General (CG) of the 84th Infantry Division later in 1942. In 1943, he became the Chief of the Army's Civil Affairs Division. In this capacity, he served as a U.S. delegate at the Potsdam Conference."PERSONNEL: Changes of the Week, Feb. 7, 1955", Time, Feb. 7, 1955 Hilldring retired from the Army in 1946.
On April 12, 1946, the President of the United States, Harry S. Truman, nominated Hilldring to be Assistant Secretary of State for Occupied Areas.Profile from the State Department Historian He was sworn in on April 17, 1946, and held office until August 31, 1947.
In 1950, Hilldring became foreign-operations manager of General Aniline & Film, a Swiss chemical firm that was seized by the U.S. during World War II on suspicion of Nazi domination. He was promoted to executive vice president in 1954, and became the company's president in 1955.
Decorations Distinguished Service CrossArmy Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf ClusterWorld War I Victory Medal with five Battle claspArmy of Occupation of Germany MedalAmerican Defense Service MedalAmerican Campaign MedalEuropean-African-Middle Eastern Campaign MedalWorld War II Victory Medal
Works by John H. Hilldring "What is Our Purpose in Germany?", The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science (January 1948) "The Common Market", The International Executive (Summer 1960)
References
External links Generals of World War II